Ask HN: Is there still value in making apps? Given that making an app is so easy nowadays and we can make our own apps rather than pay for some apps, how much value is left in making apps both short term and long term - and where does the value lie then |
There are now three kinds of apps. The old kind, big standardized ones where the same kinds of customers buy the same kinds of app, like Spotify or Oracle.
Then there are the new DIY apps made with AI. These are for use cases that wouldn't exist and wouldn't get an IT budget otherwise. That's personal software and small projects inside a group at work without a professional dev.
The third group is bespoke software built together by the client, an AI expert consultant who learns about their business, and a fleet of coding agents. In that case, the company needs the AI devs initially and maybe occasionally later but mostly runs the custom software without devs.